Our History

The Governor of Ohio created the Edison Center network of non-profit organizations around the state to provide services to new and existing businesses to increase the number of product-based high technology businesses. The goal also included increasing the number of new and improved products brought to market by Ohio businesses, and improving processes in existing Ohio businesses.  The overall objective of the Edison Program is in the retention and expansion of high-wage jobs and high-growth companies, and the creation and growth of early-stage technology companies.  In addition, the Program encourages regional and statewide collaborations with other economic development entities within and outside the network.

Edison Program Services are focused in the following four areas:

1. Product Innovation and Commercialization - the development and application of technology to create or improve something to be sold.
2. Process Innovation - the identification, development, and implementation of methods that maximize efficiency.
3. Business Assistance - assessing customers' needs and linking customers with professional resources for business development.  (The applicant can be one of the resources.)
4. Linking Ohio research to in-state applied innovation - fulfilling the technology needs of business by exploiting the products of research laboratories.

Edison Technology Centers

Seven (7) Edison Technology Centers located around the state provide a variety of product and process innovation and commercialization services to both established and early-stage technology-based businesses such as:  new product design; CAD/CAM; prototyping; materials selection and handling; plant layout and design; quality systems; information systems; machining; joining technology assistance; and biotechnology business consulting.  (See synopsis of each Center below.)

1. CAMP - Cleveland, Ohio:   Regional center focused on manufacturers; provides manufacturing process and productivity improvement services, product design and development services and fee for service training; brokers commercial and university IP in selected manufacturing areas; and delivers Federal/State Manufacturing Small Business Assistance programs.
2. Edison Materials Technology Center - Dayton, Ohio:  Statewide organization focused on advanced materials and materials processing including all traditional metals, all forms of composites, rubber, biomaterials, PEM and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and nanomaterials; sponsors and manages private, state and federal collaborative research programs between academia, federal labs and industry; hosts Federal/State Small Business Assistance programs; links industry with technology at Wright Patterson AF Base Research Labs.
3. Edison Welding Institute - Columbus, Ohio:  Membership-based organization; internationally recognized institution focused on materials joining technology; conducts research and development for both industry and government.
4. EISC - Toledo, Ohio:  Statewide center focused on food technology, particularly in processing/packaging (e.g., blow molding and wrap technology).
5. Ohio's IT Alliance - Columbus, Ohio:  Statewide organization focused on developing the IT industry in Ohio; supports regional entrepreneurial organizations focused on IT product and service providers.
6. OMERIS - Columbus, Ohio:  Statewide center focused on promoting bio-life sciences industry in Ohio, including pharmaceutical and medical device development; principal efforts are in assisting small to medium sized entrepreneurial organizations develop and commercialize bio-life sciences technology
7. TechSolve - Cincinnati, Ohio:  Regional center focused on manufacturers; provides advanced manufacturing process and system services and productivity improvement training; nationally recognized center in machining technology; delivers Federal/State Manufacturing Small Business Assistance programs.

Since 1999, OHITA has been involved in aiding the state in its mission to enhance the growth and sustainability of the IT industry in Ohio. The organization receives a development grant through the Ohio Department of Development every year with fiscal years going from July 1 – June 30. The funding process commences in early January of every year with the Department of Development sending out an RFP to all of the Edison Centers. The ITEAC board appointed by the Governor reviews all Edison Center proposals and provides approval for the final grant allocation to each center. The past two years, OHITA has administered a grant of $1,200,000, which gets redistributed throughout the state for regional IT projects. These regional projects are designed by local network partners and then evaluated by the OHITA Board of Governors for merit. Upon approval by the OHITA Board of Governors, these projects are then put into a proposal which is then approved by ITEAC.

Historically, ODoD has funded the Edison Centers to the sum of $15,000,000 annually. Original funding for the centers topped $20,000,000. As funding has been reduced by the state, each center has began to rely more heavily on outside revenue, grants and membership in order to properly fund the necessary economic development activities. In a competitive environment, gaining access to these limited funds is becoming increasingly difficult, which is why the OHITA has aggressively branched out into fee based activities. Many of the new activities performed by OHITA, as expressed in its Strategic Plan, are fee based as a result of shrinking funding pools. The OHITA is confident, however, that it can reach its intended goal of $3,500,000 in outside funding by FY 2008.